It’s a wish come true for the opposition — that former Speaker Jose De Venecia, once an erstwhile ally of the President, has announced his intention to endorse and even serve as witness in the latest impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
This of course, was not JDV’s original stand. The former speaker says he wanted to stay out of the impeachment process out of delicadeza, since his son, ZTE scandal witness Joey De Venecia is a complainant. JDV claims he changed his stance, after being convinced by opposition figures like Jesus Is Lord Church leader Bro. Eddie Villanueva.
This may be enough justification (it certainly saves face), but for many, JDV’s change of heart is more of an excuse. We have seen how he has threatened to speak up, after his humiliating exit from the House speakership early this year.
There is more than enough reason to doubt how much influence he would bring into this latest impeachment complaint. A definite barometer of how much JDV has lost his clout was the very low number of votes he got when he tried in vain to cling to his speakership.
I would think that he would only be able to make a dent if he were to do a Chavit on Gloria and reveals something truly explosive against PGMA — and with it, turn the influence of the Church against PGMA. But again, some sectors would insinuate that a JDV tell-all against PGMA would mean that De Venecia himself opening his own can of worms, since he is not exactly perceived to be the cleanest and most credible politician. The Church also has its own hands tied and is calculating its moves, given that the Reproductive Health Bill is under deliberation in Congress.
Also, can an endorser simultaneously stand as witness?
And of course, let’s not forget one important question: would a solon choose JDV over pork barrel allocation, knowing that the 2010 elections are only barely two years away?